As an oversees missionary it’s both humbling and encouraging to see the effect that God has through the things I write. It’s humbling because it often seems that God does just as much with the little I write as he does through my face-to-face influence. It’s encouraging for nearly the same reason.
I don’t currently write a great deal. I do a monthly update, and normally a few posts per month on this blog. It’s a personal blog, hosted at wordpress’s site, so needless to say, it’s not meant for a large audience nor could it really even attract one. However, I’ve been truly shocked at the number of readers I have from time to time. Last January through March or April I was faithfully updating and writing on serious biblical issues. Through the wonder of the interconnectedness of the internet, I had people from many different countries reading and finding encouragement. That’s since dropped off as I haven’t been as consistent in frequently writing edifying and biblically challenging material, but nonetheless it continues.
Other reports come back to me regarding the number of people that read my ministry updates. I have my list of 200~, but I hear more and more after every update about how so and so forwarded my update to a list of 20 people and so on. It’s amazing how far it goes simply through email. It’s awesome to see that my writing is blessing people that I’ve never met nor ever will meet.
It’s not that I have much free time here (there’s that self-asserting pride assuring you that I work hard,) but I think I could use it more effectively. *I know I could. At one point or another haven’t we all done the math as to how many hours we have in a week? 168 hours total -56 for sleep (ideally,) 40-50 for work, -x for commute, x for meals, x for exercise, devotions, talking to loved ones, etc. We normally come up between 25-50 free hours still left over. It is those hours that we will be held most accountable for.
I have begun to ponder an idea. I have many ideas, as I’m sure many of you do. Many are whimsical, or strike after a cup of coffee. I get really excited while buzzed on caffeine, then realize the absurdity of the idea later. There are some ideas however that don’t fade, but only grow stronger.
Pondering the influence of even the sparse writing that I’ve done has led me to consider venturing something. Nothing would change here in Spain, I would just need to be more disciplined with my free time in order to carve out 10 hours a week (most likely in the mornings,) to undertake this idea. The goal would be to create a professional website/blog focusing on informing and encouraging those that feel the biblical calling of church planting and mission work, at home or away. It would also be informative for those that would find encouragement in reading about the state of missions and church planting worldwide. There are many missions organizations, but all focus on their own ministries. I haven’t found anything like this and that’s why I think it could work.
Cross-cultural missions is still a subject that is mostly imaginary in readers’ minds. It still is in mine! How’s that for irony? People think of themselves in their local first-world church, then we think of the missionary in the hut in the ubiquitously used “Africa,” -never mind naming one of the 54 countries, we’ll just say the continent… We think of the martyred Jim Elliot or a Hudson Taylor in some sort of river-network, inland Chinese wonderland toting a tackle box of medical supplies, and that’s where it ends.
I would like to bridge that gap. There are many Christians who are a part of great organizations and they can pursue missions through them. Think of Campus Crusade or Navigators, my ministry GCM, or certain denominations. They have a streamlined process for going into missions and church planting. There are many however that do not have this option, and have no idea where to start. For lack of information and a constant rekindling of the desire, the vision fades.
In order to reach these needs, different days within the week could be dedicated to certain things on the website. One day could be devoted to giving concrete steps to follow in pursuing missions -things like learning languages, reaching out to the foreign sociolinguistic and ethnic groups in your own community, international outreach, church planting methods, getting out of debt in order to be free to go, etc. Other days could be used for encouragement and a home base for what is going on in the world of missions. Most people have yet to learn about the 10/40 window, the Two-Thirds world, or the shift of Christianity to the Global South. Many don’t know that there are 50,000 new believers per day in China. There are revivals happening all over Latin America. Wycliffe is on track to having a New Testament language translation started in every language group by somewhere between 2025 and 2035. Many do not know that we’re seeing faster growth now than in any period since the early church. Many don’t know these things, but there is a hunger for this heart-changing information. I believe these kinds of articles alone would encourage and inform many to take furthering steps in church planting and mission work, at home and abroad.
It’s still something I’m considering. Part of me says, “Jordan, don’t bite off more than you can chew.” Another part says, “What are you waiting for? It’s now or never.” What do you think dear reader?
Please comment or write me at jordanmonson@gmail.com
-Until the Whole World Hears,
Jordan
